A NEW post has been created at Darlington Primary Care Trust - ahead of more robust checks that are expected to come into force as a result of the Shipman review.

GP Hilton Dixon has been appointed medical director of the trust to provide clinical leadership.

It will be his job to provide effective systems to ensure a high quality of patient care and lead the appraisal and re-evaluation processes doctors will have to go through in the future.

The Shipman review was led by Dame Janet Smith after the conviction of Dr Harold Shipman for killing 15 of his patients in Hyde, Greater Manchester. Dr Dixon said: "In the future, doctors are likely to be required to provide greater evidence of their performance, that they are keeping up to date and have good communications skills.

"There has been a cultural change in how we ensure the quality of care given by doctors to patients and how they are regulated."

He will also be responsible for developing services for patients.

Dr Dixon will be responsible medically for the primary care centre in Dr Piper House and the Park Place medical centre, which is under construction.

Dr Dixon trained in Cumbria and at Newcastle Medical School before moving to Darlington in 1979 to help to establish Denmark Street Surgery.

He has successfully completed a doctorate of education and is an examiner for the Royal College of GPs.